Fr. Peter Pabst, SJ, of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, meets with students to get caught up on their academic pursuits under the watchful eye of an image of St. Ignatius. Inspirational quotes and messages of encouragement are present throughout the Cristo Rey campus.

“Thus as this world changes, so does the context of our mission; and new frontiers beckon that we must be willing to embrace,” the Jesuits declared at their 2008 General Congregation.

What We Do

Jesuits are
widely known for their colleges
and universities, as well as high schools. And that’s no surprise. Education is a
cornerstone of the Society of Jesus, and has been since the late 1540s, when
Jesuit schools began spreading through Europe.

Our works, though, extend
well beyond education and include inner city services for the poor and
marginalized, migrant assistance programs at the U.S.-Mexico border, Native
Alaska missions in Bethel, Alaska, work with Native Americans in the Pacific
Northwest, retreat houses and spirituality centers, and parishes.
Jesuits—together with our lay collaborators—are called to these and many other
ministries.

In his message to
the 35th General Congregation of Jesuits in 2008 (known simply as “GC 35”),
Pope Benedict XVI declared: “The Church needs you, counts on you, and continues
to turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the geographical and
spiritual places where others do not reach or find it difficult to reach.”

During the first
days of his papacy, in March 2013, Pope Francis added his heartfelt prayers.
The first Jesuit pontiff asked that the Lord “illuminate and accompany all
Jesuits” along these paths.

Geographically
speaking, Jesuits serve where needs are greatest -- from underserved
neighborhoods in East Los Angeles to developing schools in Micronesia.
They and their many collaborators are involved in myriad international works
through such flagship organizations as the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Spiritually speaking, Jesuits and their partners are ministering to people in the hard-to-reach places of the heart. They are doing so as military chaplains, helping soldiers find meaning far from home; as prison chaplains, accompanying those behind bars in a journey of reconciliation; as hospital chaplains, praying for healing together with patients and families; and in many other pastoral settings.

Jesuits West has three main initiatives:

To accept young men into the Society of Jesus

To maintain existing or create new ministries when and where needs arise

To care for senior or infirm Jesuits when they become ill or too old to be in active ministry

The followers of St. Ignatius Loyola are also exploring the frontiers of mission and ministry.

“Thus as this
world changes, so does the context of our mission; and new frontiers beckon
that we must be willing to embrace,” the Jesuits declared at their 2008 General
Congregation. This spirit is finding expression, for example, in the recent
phenomenon of Jesuit middle schools in hard-pressed urban neighborhoods of the
United States. Other examples include interreligious dialogue in countries torn
by religious violence, and the struggle for environmental justice.